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In Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet, the Raptors have two young guards, two pieces forced to learn on the fly and asked to produce in the absence of all-star point guard Kyle Lowry.

Neither Wright nor VanVleet is going to blow anyone away with an explosive first step off the bounce, stretch defences with their long-range shooting or flat-out light it up with their offence.

When Lowry was healthy and when the veteran eventually returns, the ideal rotation will be in place featuring Lowry as the starter, Cory Joseph at backup and Wright as the third-stringer.

The playoffs are drawing near and there will be plenty of time to dissect the ideal rotation the Raptors will use when the second season rolls around.

Come playoff time, teams tighten their rotation, often going with an eight- or nine-man rotation — in some cases a 10-man rotation — in which matchups play a huge factor and at this stage it’s far too premature to begin to speculate how many minutes the Raptors’ young duo will receive.

When head coach Dwane Casey saw his team simply wilt against the Heat as Toronto ended its five-game road swing in Miami Saturday night, he turned to his young guns to inject life.

For a stretch, the Wright-VanVleet combo set the pace and established a tempo that at least threatened, albeit fleetingly, the Heat.

Monday night against visiting Dallas, the duo started the second quarter, Toronto going with this all backup unit that helped turn a one-point deficit into a five-point advantage.

Wright finished the evening by making four of his eight shots, recording four rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, 11 points and zero turnovers.

VanVleet would score just five points, but he pushed the pace against the Mavs.

“Delon is crafty with the ball,’’ VanVleet said. “It takes pressure off both of us knowing we don’t have to carry the load of the ball handling duties. When one guy gets into a better rhythm, obviously he’ll dominate the ball a bit more, but we have good chemistry.”

As long as Wright and VanVleet don’t do more than they are asked or force their game by making bad decisions, there’s no reason why Casey shouldn't dole out minutes.

The Raptors, needless to say, are better and more dangerous when Lowry is running the show, forcing teams to extend their defence when he’s making three-pointers and his presence on the floor can’t be measured in any statistical number.

Wright and VanVleet aren’t in Lowry’s category, but they don’t have to be at the moment given their secondary role. They energize the team, make the right play by finding the right guy, play off each other and compete at a high level.

Wright had the luxury of watching Lowry and Joseph play together last season, Wright’s first in the NBA, and now VanVleet understands how the two can impact games when both are on the floor.

“I definitely take notice on how they (Lowry and Joseph) attack or where the spacing is,’’ VanVleet said.

As young players, VanVleet is well aware how every opportunity must be embraced, every second a chance to improve and make an impression.

“We’re figuring it out and trying to improve each game,’’ he added.

Casey was very complimentary of his young backcourt when he addressed the media post-game following Toronto’s 100-78 win over the Mavs.

After watching film, the head coach reaffirmed his confidence in Wright and VanVleet.

“The main (thing) they did was run the show, push the tempo,’’ said Casey. “These days are also the dog days for the body, mentally it can be taxing, and young legs, fresh legs coming in and changing things. I’m really impressed with their progression.”

Players such as Wright and VanVleet, and there are others on Toronto’s roster, need to develop and grow.

In situations when a change of pace is required, they are ideal when trying to establish a quicker tempo.

When timeouts are called, an offensive set is asked to be executed and either Wright or VanVleet will have the ball in their hands.

During the flow of a game, the dynamics change and role definition changes as well, be it playing off the ball or as the primary ball handler and facilitator.

Length and timing are the attributes Wright possesses. It allows him to block shots.

“They are progressing,’’ continued Casey when discussing Wright and VanVleet. “They are getting better and improving when they get on the court.”

Wright missed most of the season following shoulder surgery.

“Each day I’d say is getting better for me,’’ Wright said. “At first I wasn’t expected to play backup minutes, but when Kyle got hurt the role was different. And each game I’m getting more comfortable with that.”

IBAKA'S IMPACT STILL FELT

Just before he gathered with the media for his daily briefing on all things basketball, at times expanding into various aspects of life, head coach Dwane Casey shared a moment with Serge Ibaka on Tuesday.

The topic was Monday night’s win and Ibaka’s stat line.

There, in bold print, was an 0-for-4 shooting evening and even bolder was the zero points produced.

As they say, looks are deceiving until one glanced at Ibaka’s plus-minus rating, an eye-popping plus-18, which tied the veteran big for the game high with DeMar DeRozan, who led all players with 25 points by taking 17 attempts from the field.

“I just talked to him about it,’’ Casey said. “That’s (plus-18) is an unbelievable stat. It shows you the power of his defence and what he does other than scoring.

“I didn’t realize he hadn’t scored, either, until after the game and I looked at the stat sheet. But again, it shows you the importance of his presence on the floor and his impact on the game other than scoring. You throw scoring in there and that’s gravy.”

Ibaka was shooting better than 40% from distance until his 0-for-3 night against Dallas, a game that saw Ibaka haul down 10 rebounds.

Raptors readying for Thunder

Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan does some behind the back dribbles at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Delon Wright flips in a shot at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey speaks with the media at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Norman Powell gets in some free throws at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Delon Wright speaks with the media at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Serge Ibaka gets in some free throws at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Lucas Nogueira talks with head coach Dwane Casey at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Pascal Siakim at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan does some behind the back dribbles at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan does some behind the back dribbles at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Delon Wright at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Lucas Noqueira goes to the rack guarded by a trainer at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Lucas Noqueira goes to the rack guarded by a trainer at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors Lucas Noqueira goes to the rack guarded by a trainer at practice at the BioSteel centre in preparation for their game Thursday against the OKC Thunder in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday March 14, 2017. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network